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Ryan Zinke Parades Around Flathead with Washington Insider Entourage

While John Lewis meets with small business owners, Zinke charges $2,600 for photo-op

(Helena, MT) - While U.S. candidate John Lewis met with small business owners in Kalispell as a part of his work to promote made-in-Montana jobs, former SOFA PAC chairman Ryan Zinke showed up to a fundraiser in a motorcade of intimidating black SUVs filled with Washington insiders like Speaker John Boehner.At the event, which was closed to the public, Zinke charged a whopping $10,000-per couple and $2,600 just to have your photo taken with him.Zinke’s big money donor event reflects a larger trend of Zinke relying heavily on out-of-state donations, receiving only 28% of his support from in-state donors, compared to 71% for John Lewis.“After bankrupting his own campaign, Ryan Zinke is in a pretty desperate state, resorting to charging $2,600 for a simple photo-op. Maybe if he focused on Montanans, rather than out-of-state special interests and DC elitists, Zinke wouldn’t be struggling for support,” said Bryan Watt, spokesperson for the Montana Democratic Party.This is just the latest in a long series of events that suggest that Ryan Zinke is out of touch with everyday Montanans and taking desperate attempts to get his campaign back on track. Zinke reported $83,000 in campaign debt after a brutal primary election. Last month, Zinke shocked Montanans by calling donations from everyday Montanans unimportant “because, you know, they're all poor.”Zinke’s financial woes are made worse by a number of allegations of ethical missteps.Zinke has faced several FEC complaints due to potentially violating campaign finance laws by illegally coordinating with the super PAC he founded. Zinke has also failed to release his complete military records after promising to do so, a lapse that has led many to call his integrity into question.